Silvio O. Conte Centers for Basic Neuroscience or Translational Mental Health Research (P50 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 18 737

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - Silvio O. Conte Centers (P50 Clinical Trial Optional) (PAR 18-737)

What is the Silvio O. Conte Centers funding opportunity (PAR 18-737)?

It is an NIH discretionary grant opportunity that supports large, highly integrated research centers focused on major, difficult questions in basic neuroscience or translational mental health research. The mechanism is a P50 center grant, designed for coordinated, multi-component programs rather than individual, stand-alone projects.

What makes a Conte Center different from a typical multi-project or single-investigator grant?

The defining expectation is an extraordinary level of integration and synergy across the center. The work should function as a coordinated scientific enterprise where components share conceptual frameworks, tools, and approaches, and where the combined output is greater than what the individual parts could reasonably produce on their own.

What types of research does this opportunity support?

The scope spans two broad lanes: (1) basic neuroscience and (2) translational mental health research. Basic programs aim to advance fundamental science of brain and behavior mechanisms that can lay groundwork for understanding mental disorders. Translational programs are encouraged to bridge basic and clinical neuroscience where tight integration is essential.

Does the FOA prioritize any specific mental health topics?

Yes. It highlights severe mental illnesses as a key focus area, with interest in research that coherently connects neural circuits, genes, cells, and behavior to clinical phenomena. Another emphasized priority is developmental psychopathology, especially neurobehavioral mechanisms and trajectories beginning in childhood and adolescence.

What does “developmental psychopathology” mean in the context of this FOA?

In this opportunity, it refers to center-level research programs that link developmental processes to risk, resilience, and the emergence of symptoms over time, particularly starting in childhood and adolescence and shaping later mental health outcomes.

Is this opportunity only for translational or only for basic research?

No. A center can be entirely basic, entirely translational, or a strategically designed blend of both, as long as the overall program is justified as requiring a center structure and deep integration.

What does “Clinical Trial Optional” mean?

It means clinical trials may be included if appropriate, but they are not required. The center can propose clinical trial activities when they are scientifically justified, while purely basic or non-trial translational research is also allowable.

What kind of scientific approach does NIH appear to be looking for here?

The FOA emphasizes bold, high-risk, and high-impact science that benefits from a center structure. It also highlights integrative, novel, and creative experimental approaches, including cutting-edge strategies, cross-disciplinary methods, and innovative study designs when well-justified by the scientific questions.

How integrated does the center need to be?

The FOA indicates the center should not read like loosely related projects. Individual components are expected to inform one another, share tools or conceptual frameworks, and collectively accelerate progress in ways that would not emerge from the parts alone.

Does this program support interdisciplinary teams?

Yes. Conte Centers are built around interdisciplinary teams that work across different levels of analysis and combine complementary perspectives and methods to accelerate progress in understanding brain function and mental illness.

Does the FOA include workforce development or training expectations?

Yes. The program is also intended to strengthen the research workforce. Conte Centers are expected to create meaningful interdisciplinary research experiences for students and postdoctoral researchers, including training and professional development that crosses traditional departmental boundaries.

What kinds of trainee experiences are implied by the FOA?

The description emphasizes interdisciplinary experiences made possible by a center environment, such as training at interfaces like computational and experimental neuroscience, basic and clinical research, or molecular and systems-level approaches.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad for U.S.-based organizations, including: state/county/city/township/special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations not federally recognized; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (when not applying as an institution of higher education under the nonprofit category); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses.

Are specific institution types explicitly called out as eligible?

Yes. The FOA explicitly mentions additional eligible applicant categories including HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, TCCUs, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and AANAPISIs, as well as faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.

Are non-U.S. (foreign) institutions eligible to apply as applicant organizations?

No. Non-U.S. (foreign) institutions are not eligible to apply as applicant organizations for this opportunity, based on the provided information.

Are non-domestic components of U.S. organizations eligible to apply?

No. Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply, as stated in the opportunity summary provided.

Can a U.S. applicant include any foreign or international components?

Yes, foreign components are allowed under NIH policy. This means a U.S. applicant may include defined international elements when justified and when compliant with the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

What is the award ceiling for this opportunity?

The award ceiling is listed as $2,000,000, reflecting substantial, center-scale budgets consistent with multi-component collaborative research enterprises.

Who is the sponsoring agency?

The sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The CFDA number listed for the program is 93.242.

When was this opportunity created and what is the listed closing date?

The opportunity was created on 2018-04-02, and the original closing date listed is 2019-05-24.

What scale of research program is this FOA aiming to support?

This FOA is intended for large, center-level programs that can demonstrate the need for deep coordination, shared infrastructure or conceptual integration, and collaboration at a scale beyond what standard grant mechanisms are designed to support.

Is the scientific focus limited to one level of analysis (for example, only genetics or only behavior)?

No. The program description emphasizes work across different levels of analysis and encourages connecting discoveries in neural circuits, genes, cells, and behavior to clinical phenomena in a coherent way, especially for severe mental illnesses and developmental trajectories.

What is the overall “fit” test implied by the FOA?

Based on the description provided, an ideal fit is a team with a bold, high-impact question in neuroscience or mental health that truly requires a center structure, with tightly linked components, shared methods or frameworks, and a plan that leverages interdisciplinary collaboration and training.